Understanding Strengths and Values across Generations (Podcast)
A Strengths based approach is integral to understanding the values that define generations. It helps to tell people’s stories. It helps to draw similarities in motivation between generations, and it helps to prepare for the next wave because Gen Z is coming.~Logan Joyce
Welcome to the next installment of the Leadership Vision Podcast, where we share our expertise in the discovery, practice, and implementation of StrengthsFinder. This episode focuses on the importance of values as it relates to Strengths, and how understanding the intersection of the two is critical when it comes to operating more effectively as a group – especially when you have multiple generations working together.
Our guest today is Logan Joyce, one of our consultants. In addition to consulting, Logan also helps with business development, is a new dad, and is currently in graduate school. To set this conversation up for you, I asked Logan to compare and contrast two of his recent client engagements. These engagements were different in terms of the client, but the findings as it relates to values and Strengths was more or less the same.
One client was a group of college student leaders at a large public university. The other a team of healthcare executives well established in their careers. The college students were ages 19-22 and the executives were in their late 40’s and 50’s. The students were part of a values-based leadership program, eager to jump into the workforce, while the executive group had already gone through our core process, and was now doing a team engagement session on conflict and communication.
Logan and I talk about some of the differences and similarities between these groups as it relates to Strengths and values. Today’s conversation is important because when we talk about the things we value, we get at the motivations that lead people to do what they do. When paired with the language of Strengths, we can cut through a lot of the superficial stuff, regardless of any generational gaps or misunderstandings, and begin working in a much more productive environment. The workplace is the most diverse it’s ever been regarding different generations working together. If we don’t take time to understand one another now, we may spend more time working against one another than actually working towards fulfilling the mission of our organizations.
So we’re going to pick up the conversation with Logan describing why talking about values is a great place to start.
LISTEN NOW!
If you’d like to learn more about our work with Millennials, check out our episode with Steph Wahlund, one of our other team members, about the three things you need to know to understand the millennial generation.
Subscribe to the Leadership Vision Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. Thanks again to Logan Joyce for sharing his insight and wisdom about Strengths and values, and how to apply them to intergenerational settings. Logan is a new dad, and at the time of that recording, his daughter was just a few months old. For being quite sleep deprived, he was incredibly articulate as always. Thanks, Logan. I look forward to working with him more in the coming year.
Please contact us if you have ANY questions about anything you heard in this episode.
About The Leadership Vision Podcast
The Leadership Vision Podcast is a weekly show sharing our expertise in the discovery, practice, and implementation of StrengthsFinder. Leadership Vision uses StrengthsFinder to work with People, Teams, and Culture. We believe that knowing your Top 5 Strengths is only the beginning. In fact, our highest potential exists in the ongoing exploration of our talents.
